91Èȱ¬

Imagine if the kids of "City of God" lived beyond the age of 15 and became everyday citizens. Now imagine if Quentin Tarantino was Brazilian.

The result might be "The Man of the Year", the debut feature from director José Henrique Fonseca, that opens with so much ballsy attitude and stylish verve that you could be forgiven for thinking you were about to watch not only the man, but one of the films of the year.

OK, "The Man of the Year" doesn't turn out to be quite that good, but it's still a hugely impressive debut feature.

After losing a bet in his local bar, Maiquél (Murilo Benício) gets his hair dyed blond. Showing off his new barnet to his drinking buddies, he takes some stick from a local lowlife, who asks him outside for a fight. One thing leads to another and Maiquél shoots the guy dead.

So, a trip to jail for Mr Blond? Hardly. In Rio de Janeiro, life is cheap and bullets are cheaper.

The cops congratulate Maiquél on getting rid of a scumbag thief. And, before he knows what's happening, this unemployed car salesman has become an assassin for hire whose progress attracts the attention of a group of right-wing fanatics eager to clean up the streets.

All Maiquél wanted was a job, a wife and a family. Now he's got a string of corpses on his conscience, a piglet (don't ask), and two women battling over which one gets to marry him.

Stylishly shot, brilliantly acted and completely over-the-top, "The Man of the Year" may run out of steam towards the end, but it's still one hell of a ride through Rio de Janeiro's seedy underbelly and one man's slow but sure corruption.

Like a sucker punch to the gut, it's vigorous and direct enough to suggest Fonseca may well be a director to watch.

In Portuguese with English subtitles.